The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-06-14
DIAMOND CUTTING.
American Work Said to he Better Than
That Done at Amsterdam.

American Work said To he Better Than
! That Done at Amsterdam.
ITO what extent has diamond-cut-
ting been developed in this country?"
was the query put by the writer TO a
leading diamond merchant on Maiden
lane.
well" was the reply. IS yet it can
hardly be considered as an element in
our diamond business. 1t is, i'm fact.
in its infancy, and its beginning dates
, back scarcely more than fifteen years.
/ presume there are not two hundred
persons ar the most engaged i'm this
branch of the diamond trade. and they
are confined chiefly To this city and
Boston. There are but few foreigners
among them, for large number of
American boys have been educated In
the trade within recent years. An
apprenticeship is served. l think, i'm
about three years. Ii is not likely.
however. that the work of poliShin
and cutting diamonds will acquire any
substantial position i'm this country for
many years to come, mainly because
labor is so much cheaper in Amster-
dam, where whole families are engaged
i'm this trade. Whenever the demand
for the stones is leSsened. these can
and do reduce the price To- figure with
which it would be- utterly impossible
for Americans To compete. Ii would.
of course, be great advantage if we
could bring the diamond here in its
rough state in large quantities, "a
we would thereby save the duty of ten
per cent. charged on the cut stones
But at the present time the quantity of
rough diamonds imported i not sufli-
Gent to make any apprcciable differ
ence i'm the price. or 10 influence the
market i'm any respect.
There i no doubt about our excel
lency i'm cutting stones. We have de-
veloped a style which TO a certain cx-
tent sacrifices material i'm shaping the
stone but il obtains thereby the best
effect. This i what is. most desired.
The credit of the introduction of this
new style is largely due to Boston
man. who was also the first To- instruct
American boys i'm the art of cutting and
polishing. We have also made some
improvements in machinery. but the
best laps for polishing diamonds are
still imported from Amsterdam.
1.-The wages paid to these diamond
cutters may he considered high. and ,
the more skilled workmen are paid at
so much per carat in the rough. The !
workmen must have good Judgment |
rs TO the form in which the stone will |
cut the best. Sometimes a great deal !!
must be cut from the rough stone To !
get rid of imperfections. and again it is
preferable to save material by leaving |
them. His Judgment must decide |
whether the stone will be more valua- !
BILE when small without a flaw, or
when larger with the flaw. A
a general thing there are al
ways imperfections in the rough stones.
and the main thing to be observed i'm l
buying them is whether the flaws can |
be easily eradicated. Our city has not |
yet attained the dignity of being a
market for rough stones, and we still |
go to Amsterdam, London and Paris
for our supplies.
"Yes, there are more diamonds sold |
in this country than ever before, but |
the increase of dealers has been in
much larger proportion than that of the
The demand at present is
mostly for small diamonds for making
up into ornaments. IN y. Commercial |
Gazette.